A very good morning to the Advisers for Tampines GRC, and my fellow Members of Parliament, Ms Irene Ng and Mr Masagos Zulkifli, community leaders, ladies and gentlemen.

I am pleased to join you here today at the launch of the dedicated cycling path at Tampines Town.

As an avid cyclist myself, I am happy to note that more Singaporeans are picking up cycling, either as a sport, for recreation, or as a convenient form of transport to get them from their homes to the nearby MRT stations, markets, town centre and other amenities within your town. This is especially so in Tampines Town, where there is a very strong cycling culture, as many residents enjoy cycling.

3. We embarked on our effort to improve the barrier-free accessibility of our transport facilities island-wide in 2005. We did so precisely because we wanted to increase the accessibility of our transport systems for the ageing population with more elderly and mobility-impaired persons. We have made good progress over these past 5 years.

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20. Sir, cycling is now clearly a transport option and for this reason, we have formulated the National Cycling Plan to cater to our society’s growing cycling population. In July last year, I launched the first dedicated cycling path in Tampines Town. Since then, we have launched another cycling path in Taman Jurong. And there will be many more to come.

21. Response to these cycling paths has been enthusiastic. Mdm Wu Qiao Jiao, a 50-year old Taman Jurong resident interviewed by Zaobao, said “It is now more convenient to cycle to the MRT station, which makes cycling feasible as part of the journey to Jurong East Central.”

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30. To introduce a system to mandate bicycle owners to register their bicycles would not be practical. Cyclists would not only have to register their bicycles when they buy them, but also when they sell or give up their bicycles. This would be a rather burdensome process. Bicycles were exempted from registration requirements in Singapore in 1982. To re-introduce this would not only be regressive but also unnecessarily subject bicycle owners to onerous requirements. The Cycling Facilitation Committee (CFC), which I chair, re-examined this issue and came to the same conclusion.

When I posted the following comment, 7 Jun 2011, on Teo Ser Luck facebook wall, I had no idea he was so much involved with the cycling path project..

The number of cyclists abusing the pedestrian walkway increased significantly after all the "barrier free" projects. No more kerbs + favourable media reports on cycling in Tampines = lots of cyclists. What used to be leisurely walks with the family is now an extremely stressful affair; always on alert, trying to keep the kids safe. Drivers' interests are well represented. Cyclists have a very vocal lobby. The lowly pedestrian has no one to speak for us. Reclaim the pedestrian walkways for pedestrians, please. Much appreciated.

In his 8 Mar 2011 speech in parliament, Teo Ser Luck commented "Response to these cycling paths has been enthusiastic".

Perhaps so.. for some.. but its not so rosy for quite a number of people... people who.. you know, walk on pedestrian walkways that suddenly become shared path?

9. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) if he will update the House on efforts of the Cycling Facilitation Committee set up in 2009 to establish a common code of practice for safe cycling and its public education and enforcement efforts against reckless cycling behaviour; and (b) when will the Ministry implement any of its recommendations.

17. Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the measures in place to (i) promote the safety of elderly pedestrians, especially at traffic crossings; (ii) encourage the able-bodied public to assist the vulnerable frail elderly crossing alone; and (b) what can be done to ensure that speeding cyclists stop and look out at pedestrian crossings so as not to endanger the elderly.

Many of my residents have raised concerns of errant bicyclists. Many bicyclists use walkways, void decks and garden pathways at will. As our estates become more barrier-free and accessible, this problem could worsen. With many young children and elderly in the estates, residents' concerns will only increase.

Before any major tragic incident happen, could the Ministry work with other agencies to strike a good balance between the convenience for cyclists and the safety of pedestrians?

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Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied):

The co-use of the pedestrian pavement for cycling is heading for a collision course. I sincerely wish that similar tragedy of cyclists and motocyclists on the roads would not happen to our pedestrians on our pedestrian pavements.

For responsible cycling, the onus lies on the cyclists. If public education fails, then enforcement on the cyclists has to be done. There are many issues here. Are there acts that govern the responsibility of cycling on pedestrian pavement? LTA should clarify if pedestrian walkways are governed by the Road Traffic Act as they are not public roads. Who is the authority that oversees the behaviour of cyclists on pavement? Without any identification for cyclists, how do we enforce responsible cycling? I have been informed by our grassroots leaders that they tried to stop and advise irresponsible cyclists. However, the cyclists do not stop and zoom past. Even if the cyclists are to stop, the enforcement is rather confrontational.

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Mr Ang Mong Seng (In Mandarin):

But some residents complain to me that there are frequent incidents of collision on the track shared by cyclists and pedestrians. The residents said that some cyclists simply pushed and shoved their way through; knocked over pedestrians and just rode away. Even the Police could do nothing about it. The reason being that the bicycles are not licensed, and thus cannot be identified.

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Mdm Cynthia Phua: There is another concern on cycling and pedestrian walkway and cycling lanes that are introduced in the estates. This is when there is an accident between a pedestrian and a cyclist, where does the responsibility lie? In terms of the insurance coverage, how do you cover them? Does a cyclist who cycle on a cycling lane and a pedestrian walks by, who is at fault? And when a pedestrian is knocked over on a pedestrian lane, again whose responsibility is it? So I would like the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to think through these aspects before introducing cycling lanes within an estate. Because in our common areas, residents expect safety and security and I would love our children to be able to run around instead of introducing two-wheelers, especially a motorised one in our estates.

16. Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for Transport in view of bicycles and motorcycles using barrier free access paths meant for pedestrians, what is being done to ensure the safety of pedestrians as we continue the drive for barrier free access.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast):

The second clarification I have is with regard to barrier-free access. I have heard the Senior Parliamentary Secretary on the rules, but observing from the towns, what is being done for enforcement of those rules because, whether you are talking about overhead bridges or barrier-free access paths, we can all agree that there has been an increase in terms of usage by cyclists as well as motorcyclists on these? For safety reasons, what more can be done for the enforcement side?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Could the Senior Parliamentary Secretary give us an assessment of the view that enforcement should be left in the hands of volunteers? I have that problem in my constituency as well. You have got motorcycles running through the barrier-free access into the parks, footpaths and so on. You do not find a consistent means of enforcement. If they are in a park, they say it is the NParks' problem. If they are around the block, they say it is HDB's or the Town Council's problem. If it is by the side road, it is LTA's problem. So, there is no consistent means of enforcement but, yet, the safety of pedestrians is of overriding concern. Perhaps, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary can elaborate on how effective the Voluntary Enforcement Officers (VEO) are.